Pete Davidson

Peter Michael Davidson (born November 16, 1993) is an American comedian and actor. He is a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Davidson has also appeared on the MTV shows Guy Code, Wild 'n Out, and Failosophy. He has performed stand-up comedy on Adam DeVine's House Party, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Comedy Underground with Dave Attell, and guest-starred in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Davidson was born November 16, 1993, in Staten Island, New York, the son of Amy (née Waters) and Scott Matthew Davidson. His father was of mostly Jewish heritage and his mother is of Irish ancestry; Davidson was raised Catholic. He has a younger sister named Casey. His father was a New York City firefighter who died in service during the September 11 attacks; he was last seen running up the stairs of the Marriott World Trade Center, just prior to its collapse. Davidson, who was seven years old at the time, was profoundly affected by the loss. He told The New York Times that it was "overwhelming" and that he would often act out in school as a result of the trauma, at one point ripping his hair out until he was bald. In October 2016, Davidson revealed on The Breakfast Club morning radio show that he struggled with suicidal thoughts when he was younger, and that the music of rap artist Kid Cudi saved his life.

Early life

Davidson was born November 16, 1993, in Staten Island, New York, the son of Amy (née Waters) and Scott Matthew Davidson.[2][6] His father was of mostly Jewish heritage and his mother is of Irish ancestry; Davidson was raised Catholic.[7][8] He has a younger sister named Casey.[9] His father was a New York City firefighter who died in service during the September 11 attacks;[10][11] he was last seen running up the stairs of the Marriott World Trade Center, just prior to its collapse. Davidson, who was seven years old at the time, was profoundly affected by the loss. He told The New York Times that it was "overwhelming" and that he would often act out in school as a result of the trauma, at one point ripping his hair out until he was bald.[7] In October 2016, Davidson revealed on The Breakfast Club morning radio show that he struggled with suicidal thoughts when he was younger, and that the music of rap artist Kid Cudi saved his life.[12]

Davidson first tried his hand at stand-up comedy at age 16 in a Staten Island bowling alley, where a group of friends, knowing of his comedy aspirations, dared him to take to the stage. He did so only after smoking marijuana.[13] Davidson, who has suffered from Crohn's disease since the age of 17 or 18, at the time said he "cannot function" without marijuana, adding that he would not be able to work on Saturday Night Live, and that attempts to perform without it have not been successful. He explained that he "can perform when [he's] not high, but it wouldn't be that much fun for [him]."[14] He attended St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School, then Tottenville High School before transferring to Xaverian High School in Brooklyn where he graduated in 2011. His mother still works as the school nurse at the latter. Following high school, he enrolled at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights,[6] remaining briefly before dropping out.[5][15]

Career

Davidson's earliest onscreen appearance was in the third episode of the MTV comedy series Failosophy, which premiered February 28, 2013.[16] The following month, he appeared in "PDA and Moms," a third-season episode of the MTV2 reality TV comedy series Guy Code, the first of four episodes in which he was featured.[3] That June, his first televised standup aired as part of a second-season episode of the Comedy Central program Gotham Comedy Live, which showcases standup comedians at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. The following month, he returned to MTV2 with an appearance on Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out, his first of six episode appearances on that show.

Davidson joined the cast of Saturday Night Live with that show's 40th-season premiere, which debuted on September 27, 2014. At age 20, he was the first SNL cast member to be born in the 1990s, and one of the youngest cast members ever.[15][20] The first new addition to the cast that season,[5] Davidson was given a chance to audition for the show through regular Bill Hader, whom he had met while filming a small part in the 2015 Judd Apatow feature film comedy Trainwreck.[21] Hader subsequently told producer Lorne Michaels about him. His debut garnered positive critical notice,[21][22] with his most noted skits during the season including an Indiana Jones-style sketch in which he and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, after being pelted with poison darts, were forced to mutually suck poison out of each other's various body parts,[13][23] an endeavor that eventually found them entangled in the "69" position.[24] Another involved Davidson being shot in the chest with an arrow by Norman Reedus.[13]

In March 2015, Davidson was a roaster on the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber,[25] and his set was praised as one of the best of the show.[26] Among his bolder jokes was one at the expense of fellow roaster Snoop Dogg and host Kevin Hart, and their 2004 film Soul Plane. Davidson, whose firefighter father died responding to the September 11 attacks, called that film "the worst experience of my life involving a plane."[13]

In November 2018, Davidson was criticized for his comments mocking former U.S. Seal and later Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who wears an eye patch because of an injury from the War in Afghanistan. Davidson compared Crenshaw to a "hitman in a porno movie", and added, "I'm sorry, I know he lost his eye in war, or whatever."[28][29][30][31] Davidson later invited Crenshaw for a Weekend Update segment on SNL. In the episode, Davidson apologized to Crenshaw, and they made further jokes and references that it is Veterans Day.[32] Crenshaw and others have speculated that the joke may have helped him win Texas's 2nd congressional district in the midterm election.[33][34]

Comedy style

Davidson has been praised for basing his comedy on his own life and employing aspects of his life that have been likened to "a series of brutal truths and vulgar confessions," and which make him relatable to audiences. Touching upon topics such as marijuana, sex, and relationships, incidents he relates include those from his awkward high school experiences to living in a dormitory during his brief stint at St. Francis College.[15] Davidson jokes about highly sensitive subjects, including the loss of his father during the September 11 attacks. He says he finds that it empowers him to address the feeling of powerlessness that experiencing such tragedy at a young age inflicted upon him.[7] He is a fan of the Harry Potter franchise, and has incorporated that material into his comedy work as well.[15][21]

Davidson supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and on December 5, 2017, he stated on his Instagram account that he got a tattoo on his leg of Clinton, whom he called his "hero", a "badass", and "one of the strongest people in the universe." Clinton herself thanked Davidson for the compliment, commenting, "This makes it significantly less awkward that I've had a Pete Davidson tattoo for years."[35]

He was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 17 or 18,[14] for which he receives intravenous treatment,[7] and used medical marijuana as a pain reliever.[14] On March 6, 2017, Davidson announced on his Instagram account that he had quit drugs and was sober for the first time in eight years.[12] During an interview on comedian Marc Maron's podcast, Davidson clarified that the only drug he used was marijuana and, while he has since cut back its use considerably, the personal problems he initially assumed were a result of his daily marijuana habit were actually caused by borderline personality disorder, for which he has since been undergoing treatment.[36][37]

Davidson began dating comedian Carly Aquilino 2014 until 2015,[16] and dated Cazzie David from 2016 to 2018.[38][39][40] On June 20, 2018, Davidson confirmed that he and singer and actress Ariana Grande were engaged to be married.[41] On October 14, 2018, it was reported that the engagement was called off.[42][43][44] Grande's song "Pete Davidson" appears on her 2018 album Sweetener. She also referenced him in her song, "Thank U, Next", with the lyric, "Even almost got married, And for Pete I'm so thankful." The accompanying part of the music video featured a picture of the couple with the caption, "Sry I dipped Pete. I love u always. HUUUUUGE", a likely apology for the breakup.[45]

On December 15, 2018, Davidson shared a candid Instagram post about being suicidal, before deleting his account on the social media platform entirely.[46] Concern from Grande, his friends and internet users resulted in the New York Police Department conducting a wellness check on Davidson, who was found safe at the studios for Saturday Night Live.[47] Davidson only appeared once on that night's episode of SNL, when he introduced a musical performance by Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson and Sean Lennon.[48]

On January 20, 2019, Davidson returned to SNL, and on Update, he appeared alongside comedian and former SNL writer John Mulaney to mainly roast the 2018 film The Mule, with only a passing reference to his Instagram post.[49]